Sneaker Pimp: Having done KICKS, which debuted in ’98 as a partnership with Nike and quickly grew into the “Sneaker Bible” that every brand wanted to get down with, for 14 years now, we’re so good that we can jump over any hurdle. Normal years, those hurdles just come from the brands, which both make this issue possible with their editorial and advertising support but make completion difficult, with last-second changes to shoe prices, styles, availability, etc.

But the lockout has created whole new sets of challenges. Namely: contradictory messages from the NBA and its teams, as well as the Player’s Association and many of the agents who represent players who belong to it. I’ve been whining about this on Twitter all summer, but here’s my point in print: What hope is there for a resolution of this stupid lockout if there is such little unity among the opposite sides?!

Lucky for you readers out there, it will take a lot more than a lockout and the chaos it causes to throw us off our game. Thankfully, companies are still making dope kicks, and the players we all love are still balling somewhere, whether it’s streetball leagues, overseas or pick-up games at their local gym. Speaking to everything that is still going on, this year’s issue features three different players—Rajon Rondo, Kemba Walker and Monta Ellis—from three different brands, with three very different stories. We trust you’ll love ’em all.

Ever since KICKS 3 (summer 2000), each issue of the annual sneaker mag—KICKS 10 not included—has contained two or three new inductions into the KICKS Hall of Fame, where footwear legends past and present are honored. This may not be fresh material for those of you who’ve been copping the mag since before the new millennium hit, but for the younger heads, we’re posting the entire HOF online over the course of the next few weeks. (It’ll be archived under the KICKS tab above.) Enjoy, and don’t forget: KICKS 14 is on sale now! —Ed.

Blake Griffin notwithstanding, fans tend not to get overly excited by big men with disgustingly raw athleticism; you know, the guys who seem hell bent on catching the reverse image of their jersey number in the backboard’s plexiglass before they humiliate the player unfortunate enough to get caught under them. There’s a mid-’90s reason for that seen-it-all-before yawn, and it goes by the name of Shawn “The Reignman” Kemp.

Like the off-kilter fade on the top of his head, for the better part of his 14-year NBA career, Kemp tilted fans’ perspectives on what a 6-10 power forward should and could do on the basketball court. A one-man rendition of 48 minutes of hell, his game was grace, wrapped tightly in a finely tuned frame full of fury. Kemp swallowed up rebounds and swatted shots with flair and oomph. As for his dunks, there may not be enough space here to give them proper credit.

A Shawn Kemp dunk was the stuff that a generation of kids tried to emulate on the Nerf rims that hung on their bedroom doors. It’s what programmers pixalized when they were creating video games like NBA Jam. Kemp dunks were charismatic, game-changing, crowd-swaying, jersey-selling bursts of lightning.

In rainy Seattle, thanks to those aerial assaults and the rest of his game, Kemp found a home. In the League’s first post-Jordan era, Kemp lobbied to be its most entertaining player, crowning countless opponents with vicious dunks of memorable titles (see: “The Lister Blister”).

There were the dunks. And then there were the kicks.

The Kemp-Reebok marriage was one that produced more than just the Kamikaze I and II shoes that were released in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Reebok laced Kemp up with his own signature line, creating three models of The Reignman. Kemp wore the three different sneakers between the ‘97 Playoffs with Seattle and his three-year stay in Cleveland that ended at the turn of the 21st century.

As cool as the signature Reignmans were, Kemp will be best remembered in the Kamikaze. Never have a player’s kicks encapsulated the essence of a man the way that the Kamikaze did Kemp.

Pair Kevin Harlan up with a Reignman YouTube video and the announcer would go hoarse, volleying between praise for Kemp’s disregard for human life and his ability to go up high and down hard. In the seasons that Kemp wore the Kamikazes, he was at his physical peak, springing skyward with his personal safety secondary. He landed on a trio of All-NBA Second-Teams during those years and brought the Sonics to the ‘96 Finals. There, Gary Payton and Kemp took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six games…and that was kind of it.

As full out as the Reignman went on the court, he went just as hard off of it. By the time his final season in Seattle rolled around, he was fighting off rumors about his lifestyle just as hard as he was fighting off double- and triple-teams. Between his time in Cleveland, Portland and Orlando, the All-Star appearances dried up, his weight ballooned and reports of numerous children across the US surfaced. There would be no emergency pull chute here, no miracle recovery for the NBA to see. Kemp left the League after the ’03 season, never again to soar like he did in the ‘90s.

As a shoe, the duo of Kamikazes suited Kemp. The zigzagging patterns screamed to Reebok’s outspoken MO at that point (for further evidence, see Glenn Robinson’s The Rail, or Shaq’s Shaqnosis, both from the same season). Catching flack for grabbing his crotch while celebrating dunks in the 1994 World Championships, Kemp was a little loud himself.

Kemp’s mission in the NBA was simple: take the ball to the hole, and fly through whoever was in his way to do it. He was a force on the court and couldn’t stop himself from being one away from it. Kemp lived Reebok’s ‘90s slogan of “Life is short. Play hard.” a little too literally. It was a short window for Shawn Kemp and his shoes. But what a view we had while they were airborne.

Ever since KICKS 3 (summer 2000), each issue of the annual sneaker mag—KICKS 10 not included—has contained two or three new inductions into the KICKS Hall of Fame, where footwear legends past and present are honored. This may not be fresh material for those of you who’ve been copping the mag since before the new millennium hit, but for the younger heads, we’re posting the entire HOF online over the course of the next few weeks. (It’ll be archived under the KICKS tab above.) Enjoy, and don’t forget: KICKS 14 is on sale now! —Ed.

It isn’t often you see a press conference called over a sneaker. But early in December, 2008, that’s exactly what Kobe Bryant and Nike did.

Despite the scarcity of conferences, it still would have been easy to brush it off as an elaborate attempt to generate hype for Bryant’s fourth sneaker with Nike. But then, over the course of a short webcast intro, Mamba and the Swoosh unveiled just how they’d be flipping the script and revolutionizing the game.

The Zoom Kobe IV got lower and lighter than other kicks without sacrificing any of its functionality. Taking cues from soccer cleats, which manage to cater to stronger and more rapid cuts than typical shoes, the Eric Avar-designed sneak bolted forward and didn’t look back.

Over the last three years, the low-cut silhouette has continued to evolve, getting lighter while trading out some materials for others. (Lunar foam went out with the IV, with heel and forefoot Zoom Air into the V. Flywire from the IV and V was upgraded to a three-layer Flywire setup for the ZK VI.) All of this, of course, worked further toward Kobe’s initial request of having a shoe that is merely an extension of one’s foot. The insoles of the ZK VI demonstrate this, with the phrase, “I want a shoe that molds to my foot,” spread out over the two feet.

Bryant wasn’t the first dude to rock low tops on the hardwood—far from it. Take a look, though, at the impact he’s had on NBA feet over the past three years: The Zoom Kobe IV, V and VI have essentially become the go-to sneaker for players in the League who don’t have their own signature models. Thinking of the NBA as its own democratic country, the players have spoken with their footwear choices and Kobe Bryant is the current president.

Before he became the Obama of the L, though, a teenage Bryant skipped the NCAA and landed Feet You Wear-first in the NBA, as a rookie with the Lakers and as an endorser for adidas. That pairing lasted the first six years of Kobe’s prolific NBA career, and though the adidas/Bryant relationship was moderately successful (Google “The Kobe Sunshine” for proof), things didn’t really rise to the next level until Kobe got low in 2008.

Through the 14 years we’ve gotten to kind-of, sort-of know Kobe, we’ve come to know his competitive side. As much as his (dwindling) number of detractors will complain that he’s a Jordan wannabe, Kobe is in the process of clearing his own path—one that’s Jordan-like, but still all Kobe. And as valuable as Pau Gasol was to the Lakers’ two Championships and three straight Finals appearances from ’08-10, Nike’s played the same role in helping Kobe blaze his tale and sneaker trail.

When he began rehabbing his image in the mid-2000s, at a point when most people in his situation would’ve hid or tried cleansing their image, Kobe created a lethal alter ego in the Black Mamba. Nike saw what he was doing, embraced it and used it as a key tool in Bryant’s image refinement. Working snake-like elements into Kobe’s shoes the last three years, in addition to crafting a sneak that was revolutionary in itself, Bryant is managing to do his own thing but still dwell in the realm of MJ. Diss him all you want, but KB is as calculating with the business side of his game as he is with the ball in his hands. He isn’t Mike, but he’s an awful lot like him—especially when it comes to seeking out those tiny little mental victories.

MJ already changed the shoe game on a cultural level that no one will ever match. But in each of the last three seasons, Kobe has changed the sneaker world on a personal level. In his heyday, Jordan was selective about who wore his signature joints. Kobe takes the opposite route, likely seeing it as each opponent and even teammate around him ceding to his superiority when they lace his kicks up. If players from every team across the Association wore your signature shoes, wouldn’t you look at it the same way?

For NBA fans, the summer of 2011 has been more than a little disconcerting. With NBA players locked out by the owners, we’ve seen summer league canceled, free agency fried, trade season toppled, along with an endless stream of rumors about which players may or may not consider playing overseas. Basically, there hasn’t been much for NBA fans to dig into. So instead of looking ahead, fans have been forced to look back, with mostly just their memories to keep them company. For Boston fans, seeing their Celtics go down to Miami in the Eastern Conference Semis was a tough way to end the season, and a bad taste to leave in their mouths. And at one point, they might have thought they were seeing their point guard go down, too. If so, they didn’t know Rajon Rondo very well.

If there were any questions about Rondo’s toughness, he answered them now and forever and ever and ever in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semis. The Celts trailed the Heat 2-0 but returned to Boston and were sitting on a lead in Game 3 when Rondo took a spill. His left elbow bent at an angle that elbows are not supposed to bend, and Rondo had to be helped to the locker room. The elbow was dislocated, but somehow, back in that locker room, while everyone in the Garden gasped for air, they managed to relocate his elbow. Shortly thereafter, Rondo trotted back out on the floor for the start of the fourth quarter, his left arm dangling uselessly by his side. He immediately resumed his customary role, handling the ball, darting into passing lanes, directing his teammates around picks and screens. With one arm. Sure, when Rondo returned the Celtics had a lead and looked like they were in control. But Rondo’s return pushed the Garden crowd into a frenzy, and it gave the Celtics—at least on that night—an insurmountable emotional lead. And it gave Boston fans a memory to hang on to going forward, the notion that nothing, not even the basic laws of human anatomy, are able to stop Rajon Rondo.

The Celts feature a Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, but it’s Rajon Rondo who makes the whole thing work. It’s hard to think of a player in the NBA who plays a game that’s as unique and uncommon and effective as Rondo. He plays from unconventional angles, zipping to the rim, then flinging the ball out to the three-point line. He sinks teardrops, occasionally punctuates breaks with a dunk, makes throwing one-handed bounce passes look as simple as bouncing a tennis ball, and he’s tireless defensively, as evidenced by his recent back-to-back nominations to the NBA All-Defensive First-Team. And he always plays with tempo, tempo, tempo. In a League where we so often look for absolutes, Rajon Rondo’s game has shading; it’s subtle when it needs to be, screams when it has to be heard.

In the era of the point guard, Boston has a keeper. And with Championship rings (Rondo has one) and All-Star appearances (two) and SLAM covers (one, so far), some level of acclaim generally follows. Yet tucked in nicely behind the Big Three, Rondo exists just below the surface, bubbling up in box scores and highlights, yet, until now, not as much in commercials and ads. As he told us a little over a year ago in SLAM 140: “I don’t have to be the man. I don’t have to be on every billboard in Boston, be the face of the Boston Celtics. If that’s not me, that’s not me. I’m fine. I’m low-key… There’s people who want it. And then there’s people who do deserve it, but could care less. Me? I’m cool.”

Rondo might have placed himself in the category of guys who care less, but he’s also obviously one of the guys deserving of attention. Now, as the face of the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011, he’s getting his close-up. And for a shoe all about performance and speed, it’s hard to think of a better fit to front it than Rajon Rondo.

The Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011, which comes in a mid- and low-cut, is a shoe that cuts a striking silhouette, jutting up high around the tongue to provide rock-solid ankle support while retaining a sleek, smooth shape throughout. If there was any question as to the goal of the shoe, Nike answered it with their commercial showing a basketball player using a blender to “fuse” all manner of things representing speed—from cheetah milk to a stopwatch—to form a Hyperfuse 2011.

While the Hyperfuse 2011 looks measured and refined on the outside, there’s plenty going on behind the scenes and under the seams. The Hyperfuse 2011 is composed of three layers—one for stability, one for breathability and the third for durability. The composite construction creates a substance made from three materials (synthetic textile, mesh and thermoplastic urethane). A seamless mesh innersleeve provides ventilation and comfort, while foam cushioning in the collar provides comfort and an enhanced fit in the heel.

“The Hyperfuse upper, which really brings that breathability and durability together, is a composite system adding this layer of skin in zonal kind of regions of the foot,” explains Leo Chang, Nike Basketball Design Director. “And then we have actually a lateral stability wing in the midsole that keeps you on the foot bed of the shoe with this higher side wall and midsole wrap. And with that too, taking some of the bulk out of the collar in the 2010 Hyperfuse and engineering some structure back into it without all of the bulk, and then zoom cushioning in the forefoot for that great responsive toe off.”

There may be a lot of pieces to the Hyperfuse 2011, but like any great team, it all works together toward one goal. For a player like Rondo, who sticks close to the ground and relies on changing direction and speed, its 12.5 oz. weight is inconsequential enough to keep him zooming for a while. And to leave Boston fans great memories for years to come. We caught up with Rondo at the end of July to talk about the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse 2011.

KICKS: I know the Hyperfuse campaign says, “There is no offseason.” How is that true for you?

Rajon Rondo: Well, I can’t do anything right now, because I haven’t got cleared yet to start working out (due to injury). So right now it is the offseason for me.

KICKS: How long do you usually take off from basketball in the summer?

RR: It depends. Usually we’ve been going pretty deep into the Playoffs, so I’ll take maybe three weeks, four weeks off, then get back into things.

KICKS: How has what’s been important to you in a shoe changed the longer you’ve been in the NBA?

RR: Probably just…changing directions is what’s important for me—what shoe is able to grip the floor, along with my ankle not rolling at the same time.

KICKS: As far as shoes go, what was more important to you earlier on?

RR: Pretty much, I loved low-cuts. Since the Hyperfuse, I’ve been in mid-tops. But I go back and forth every once in a while. But the most important thing is ankle support. I like to support my ankle but still be able to move. The Hyperfuse are very light so I’m able to do what I do best as far as my quickness and me being able to get up and down the floor.

KICKS: Did you wear low-tops growing up, or have you always needed the ankle support?

RR: I always wore low-tops. In college I went back and forth between the Huaraches and low-cuts. But pretty much low-cuts.

KICKS: And the main reason you wore the low-cuts was just because of the weight?

RR: Yeah, the weight.

KICKS: You’ve played in the Hyperfuse; how does it help you to be more effective?

RR: Honestly, I don’t even wear an ankle brace when I’m in the Hyperfuse. Not to say that’s a great thing, but they’re pretty supportive with my ankles, and I haven’t had any problems with my ankles with the Hyperfuse.

KICKS: Style-wise, what do you like about the shoe?

RR: The different colorways. I had a bunch of different colorways last season throughout the Playoffs. The colorways are pretty nice. What I love about it most is that it’s a really light shoe, and it’s also very comfortable to play in.

KICKS: What about the style of your shoe? Do you like bright colors? Do you like them to be simple?

RR: It just depends what mood I’m in, really, or what game. I like a clean shoe, pretty much all solid, whatever color we’re in. And I’ll mix it up every once in a while with different colorways.

KICKS: Is the Hyperfuse the kind of shoe you’d wear to work out in, even if you’re doing workouts other than basketball?

RR: Yeah, I work out in them, doing my off-court training, depending what I’m doing off the court. If I’m jumping or running, I’ll wear them. If I’m not, I’ll put on some other low-cut training shoe.

Standing on the platform of the 161 Street-Yankee Stadium stop, a 60ish Latin woman wants to know who the young man posing for pictures is. “Kemba Walker,” I reply. “Estrella del baloncesto,” I force out in halting Spanish. “De Bronx.” A basketball star. From the Bronx.

Trust this, though: Over the course of a scorching-hot July day spent traversing Bronx and Harlem—areas the 21-year-old Walker knows well—it becomes clear that to most New Yorkers, Kemba needs no introduction.

Blessed with a quick smile and approachable manner he honed during his three-year career at UConn, playing for arguably the nation’s most rabid fan base, Walker possesses a winning personality that has businesses investing heavily in him and hoping for a big pay off.

Basketball-wise, King Kemba is now the property of the Charlotte Bobcats, famously owned by Michael Jordan and in desperate need of a spark that can generate both excitement and wins in a city that hasn’t shown much interest in its team lately. Off the court, and more germane to our day, Under Armour has signed Walker to a multi-year endorsement deal, hoping his skills and persona can further build up the brand’s growing reputation in basketball.

It sounds like a lot for a young man out of New York’s public housing system to handle, let alone one whose build and style of play have some observers wondering how the Final Four Most Outstanding Player will translate to the NBA. Is a 6-1, 185-pound guard who often seems to think shoot-first a viable answer for a team with a paper-thin (and very short) backcourt? And is said guard going to make enough of an impact that kids heading to Foot Locker will want to be like him instead of his team’s owner?

Walker doesn’t see why not. “I think Bobcats fans should expect the team to get better. We might not get better right away, but I guarantee we will make strides and I’ll do anything possible to make the team better,” he says. “I think I’m going to get the chance to play a lot. Me and DJ [Augustin] are going to be in the backcourt together sometimes. The coaches down there have some pretty big plans for us and I can’t wait. I’m excited.”

Walker obviously knows from good teams. Or, at least, how to make one good. Last season’s magic carpet ride through the Big East and NCAA Tournaments (11 straight wins and lots of net cutting) wrapped up with Kemba boasting extremely healthy full-season stats: 41 games played with averages of 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals. If there was a drawback to the big-time scoring numbers it was the way it made people question if dude could run the 1 the old-fashioned way. Kemba doesn’t really care for those doubts.

“Look, I want to do everything,” he says, getting animated. “Score, defend, get assists. That’s the kind of player I am—whatever my team needs me to do, that’s what I’m going to do. This past year I had to score. I’ve been playing point my whole life. Now there’s the question of if I can pass or not, but I don’t think that’s a question. I was just doing what my team needed. I was one of the most experienced guys on my team so I had to score for my team, but on the next level I’m going to be a true point guard. I’m going to distribute the ball. I’m going to score the ball also, but that’s just a plus—it will open up more chances for me to get assists.”

The Bobcats agree. “We are very excited to have him,” says one Charlotte insider, who could not be quoted by name due to NBA rules during the lockout. “We need someone to make a splash, score some points and bring toughness and a winning mentality. He just brings so many intangibles that we need.”

Without ever coming off as cocky, Walker expresses the same confidence in his ability to be a difference maker for UA that he does for the Bobcats. “I think I can make people who only wore Nikes or Jordans in their life come over to Under Armour,” Walker says. “People are already saying stuff like that to me on Twitter: ‘I wasn’t a fan of Under Armour, but now that you’re with them I’ll definitely get a pair.’ People don’t realize the kind of stuff that they have, and the stuff that they’re working on. And that’s what I’m here for, also: They’re going to give me the chance to voice my opinion on things, to create sneakers. There are going to be some pretty great kicks and with me, Brandon [Jennings] and Derrick [Williams], I guarantee you people are going to change their minds about Under Armour.”

Under Armour Director of Basketball Footwear Ryan Drew is obviously very excited to see the roster of players he gets to work with keep growing. Of Walker, who will be outfitted in a new shoe called the Micro G Juke whenever this season tips off, Drew says, “We love his game, but more importantly, he’s a great person. He has all of the qualities that we’re looking for in an athlete. He’s a winner, he’s a leader, he’s got heart and he’s fearless. He has a great sense of style, and understands exactly what he wants in the look and performance of his sneakers.”

And will it all transfer to the consumer, Kemba? “Jordan is always gonna be Jordan. As far as Nike, I think we’re going to be at that elite level with them at some point. Under Armour is creating some great stuff. As long as us, the players, do what we have to on the court, I think people are gonna want to wear what we’re wearing. And we all have pretty big influences on young guys, especially me being from New York and Brandon from California. And we both inner-city kids, so you know, kids look up to us. I definitely think we’re going to be on a lot of people’s minds when they’re buying sneakers.”

If you’re a basketball fan of a certain age, Kemba Walker’s story sounds pretty familiar. After all, to those of us in our 30s and up, a New York City point guard making the League was as common a sight as an opened fire hydrant cooling kids off in a Big Apple summer. Older legends such as Bob Cousy and Lenny Wilkens begat Tiny Archibald, who was followed in the ’80s by Pearl Washington, Kenny Smith, Mark Jackson and Kenny Anderson. Then came Stephon Marbury, Rafer Alston, Jamaal Tinsley and Sebastian Telfair. But then the hydrant stopped flowing.

Came to the NBA straight out of high school; broke out on the national scene during the Golden State Warriors’ “We Believe” Playoff run of ’07; established himself as one of the NBA’s most dynamic scorers; became the face and stare of the AND 1 brand—those are the basics. Outside of that, however, what’s your perception of the 6-3 Jackson, MS, native? Do you see him as a disgruntled star on a subpar team or a perennial All-Star snub, underpublicized and underappreciated by the masses?

“When I’m playing basketball, people are sleeping or kids are getting ready to go to school,” says the 25-year-old Ellis on a blazing July day at his off-season home on the outskirts of Memphis, referring to being on a West Coast team that doesn’t make a lot of national TV appearances. “I’m known more than people think and not more than I should be.”

Known, perhaps, but as much as a player with averages of 24.1 and 25.5 ppg the last two seasons—along with leading the League in minutes per game and averaging over 2 steals and 5 dimes per—can, Ellis flies under the radar. Of course, GState hasn’t been a serious Playoff contender during that stretch, but with the capability to slice his way to the cup at will for fearless finishes, to light defenses up from deep and be one of the most explosive transition players in the game, real talk, after Kobe and DWade, it isn’t a stretch to say Ellis is the next-best 2 in the game.

“My game’s going to speak for itself. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The only thing that I know is I know that I went out there every night and left it on the court. That’s all that I can ask for. I did everything that I can possibly do,” the six-year vet insists from inside the sprawling crib that once belonged to the late Lorenzen Wright. “The only thing I know is [other players] respect my game just as much as I respect theirs and that’s the only thing that matters. As long as they know when they come on that court and they tie their shoes up against me that we’re going to go toe to toe, it’s going to be a barn-burner, there isn’t any backing down, none of that.”

Ellis’ game may be on par with the best shooting guards in the League, but he goes about getting buckets in his own unique way, contorting his body and spinning the ball off the glass in seemingly impossible, never-seen-before ways. And while most 2s are getting buckets with an assortment of Swooshs, Three Stripes and the like on their feet, Ellis does it while repping the street-tested, NBA-approved brand, AND 1.

Fitting the ethos of Ellis’ inspired style of scoring and grown-man mindset is his new signature shoe, the AND 1 ME8 Empire. Embracing the proud company’s L2G philosophy, the Empire is lightweight with a mid-cut design. Featuring full-length cushioning that reduces impact, a combination mesh and synthetic upper and a herringbone outsole, AND 1 was inspired to make the shoes—at $75, the affordability jibes with Ellis’ relative penny-pinching, minus the Bentley and Rolls in his driveway—by their marquee endorser’s quickness, explosiveness, versatility and creativity. Looking at the brand’s history, looking at the shoe, looking at Ellis you have to wonder: Could there be a better match for the Man of Many Tats, who doesn’t neatly fit into any defined category and represents the approach AND 1’s been known for since its outset?

Nah. Probably not.

—

In his hometown of Jackson, a capital city that, in the best and worst ways, retains the feel of a small town, Ellis was a legend, scoring over 4,000 points in his prep career for traditional power Lanier High School. Raised mostly by his gospel music-loving grandparents (before Monta’s hardwood exploits, the family was probably best known around Jackson for its musical talents), Ellis was singled out as a hoops prodigy early on, and by age 10 he took it upon himself to be his family’s savior. If you’re up on his background, you already know that he believes his older brother by five years, Antwain, a 6-8 former Lanier standout, should have been the first one to make it before he was derailed by off-court issues. But while Monta makes no excuses for his eldest brother’s travails, he does credit Antwain for the relentless mentality that allows him to thrive despite being undersized.

“When I was playing with my oldest brother, I was usually playing with the kids in his age group. My oldest brother is five years older than me, so I used to play with kids in his age group. I never played with the kids in my age group, even when I was in middle school,” recalls Ellis, who was drafted 40th overall in ’05. “When I was in middle school, I worked out with the high school kids. When I was in high school, I worked out with Mo [Williams, a fellow Jackson native] and them, when they were in college. When I was in high school, going up to my last two years, my junior and senior years, I was working out with Mo and them. They were in the NBA.

“I took a gamble in coming out of high school and going to the NBA, trying to skip college. I took a gamble. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know if I’d be able to play in the NBA. I’d just had knee surgery a couple months before the Draft…I told my homeboy Marlon that I was going to the NBA out of high school when I was going into my freshman year and I didn’t see that reality come until the day I got drafted,” he continues. “It was just plan A through Z…There wasn’t anything [else] at all I was thinking about. I’ve seen so much and I’ve seen my family struggle for so long, and I knew I was the only one that could change that. I could have went the last pick in the NBA Draft. As long as I got my opportunity, that’s all that really mattered to me.”

After a disappointing rookie year for Ellis, the Warriors brought in Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, who employed a fast-paced style that better suited the AND 1 endorser’s abilities. After seeing his scoring average soar from 6.8 to 16.5 ppg, becoming a fan favorite and copping Most Improved Player Honors in ’07, Ellis was suddenly viewed as the team’s future.

“It never got to the point where it was like, Dang, I don’t know if I can do this, if I’m going to be able to make it,” says Ellis, who moved to the Bay with an entourage consisting of just one younger cousin and remained in NorCal for his first three NBA offseasons. “It’s been a bumpy, rocky seven years, but at the end of the day, I look at where I am today and where I could have been.”

Last summer, Ellis got married—his wife, Juanika, is a Memphis native, explaining the couple’s decision to make their tastefully appointed home in Tennessee; he also owns a spot in Mississippi—and from their trainer-supervised morning workout session together to wedding portraits throughout the home, it’s clear Ellis isn’t bashful about marriage or fatherhood, things he believes have helped him at his job.

“It’s easy when you’re single. You don’t really have anybody but yourself,” continues Ellis, whose grandparents have been married for over 40 years. “When you’ve got a family, you have to manage—like, ‘We’re going to spend this, we’re going to save this amount’ or ‘We’re going to break it down through the months that we figure the lockout is going to last, so we need to save as much as possible’—but that really comes in when you have a great wife.”

A father of two (a 3-month-old daughter and a 2-year-old son), when Ellis isn’t parenting or fishing or in the recording studio, he’s putting in work on the weights (it shows) or going through individual workouts on his state-of-the-art backyard Versacourt. Unlike many of his peers, Monta has no ideas about going overseas during the lockout, as he’d rather stay close to the nest. Crossing the waters might not be in his plans, but that doesn’t mean Ellis isn’t planning business moves—aside from his deal with AND 1—unrelated to hoops. With his longtime agent, Jeff Fried, Ellis is looking to give back to his hometown in a meaningful way by creating jobs through multiple small businesses, a partnership with military veterans, a mentoring program (and proposed TV show, Shot Callers) and through his ME8 Foundation, discounted youth basketball camp and scholarship award to Jackson State University.

“I just feel like there’s nothing down in Jackson to do, no job opportunities,” he says. “I see my city struggling and I just want to lift it back up.

“I know when I see most kids, they don’t just compliment me about my basketball. It’s crazy when these young kids talk to me about ‘the way you act’ and this and that, and it’s touching. And another side of it, when you have your own son, then you’re trying to set an example for him anyway,” continues Ellis, who also counsels younger teammates. “With my son [Monta Jr] being named after me, I don’t want to mess up his name by something that his father does.”

Today, recently retired 7-6 center Yao Ming turns 31 years of age. Despite an unfortunate amount of unreached potential, Yao had a huge, undeniable effect on both the game of basketball and the international sneaker market. In KICKS 14—on sale now—SLAM senior writer Khalid Salaam penned a piece on this intense globalization, which you can read below in its entirety. Happy born day, Yao!—Ed.

by Khalid Salaam

Admittedly, a Yao Ming piece in KICKS is a surprise. Even for a notoriously non-sizzle position such as center, Yao’s shoes were fairly ho-hum. His sneakers were utilitarian, workman-like in their look. Yet here he is in the KICKS issue, and with more than one page at that. Why? Because up to this point, we’ve focused on the wrong thing.

For the record, I think Yao Ming is a Hall of Famer. That’s been the question since news broke over the summer of his injury-related retirement. Remember, this is the Basketball Hall of Fame, not just the NBA’s. The numbers themselves aren’t incredible (19 ppg, 9 rpg, 1.9 bpg) but his game wasn’t really about numbers anyway. Yao Ming’s NBA career never got him past the second round, yet he deserves to go to Springfield for opening China up to the basketball world, and opening the basketball world up to China. In recent years, the HOF has opened its doors up to the likes of Yugoslavian coach Aleksandar Nikolic, who’s credited with calling attention to Eastern Europe as a talent base, and Meadowlark Lemon, whose career with the Harlem Globetrotters elevated the sport to an entertainment level previously undiscovered. Neither of those men worked in the NBA, yet their worldwide impact was worthy of enshrinement. Yao’s is, too.

One of the 7-6 gentle giant’s most enduring legacies is the way he made the sneaker market truly international. Having a shoe deal is one of the more prestigious accomplishments bestowed upon a player. The best-case scenario is to have a signature line, where your name and logo are prominently placed, where you can shoot commercials and become the face of a brand. You can say that Yao’s shoe deal underwhelmed since he never quite became the face of Reebok (his most famous ad was probably Visa’s “Yo/Yao” spot), but he was a consistent presence in the market. “We wanted him to be a brand ambassador and add credibility to not only the Reebok Basketball Category but also to the overall company as well,” says Brian Lee, head of Global Reebok Basketball.

Yao’s game was hard to translate into shoe language. He wasn’t quick and he didn’t jump high or cut or dunk. His game was predicated on jumpers and slow spins to the basket. Reebok did the best they could with that package.

The best-selling Yao shoe was the Pump Omni Hexride in 2008, which leads you to think that the brand was positioned for an upswing. Given that his popularity peaked around the ’08 Beijing Olympics, it’s safe to say there was a window where things could have gone another way. Instead, ’08 was the beginning of the end. A foot injury in the semifinals against L.A. in ’09—following a multitude of previously suffered ones— proved debilitating, and he only appeared in five games the rest of his career. It wasn’t Reebok’s fault—at 7-6 and 310 pounds, Yao’s body just couldn’t handle the stress.

“We met with both Yao’s trainer and surgeon, and the key attribute for him was keeping the underfoot stiff and firm,” Lee explains. “We used an engineered stroble board that was stockfit to an injected foam midsole of a higher than usual hardness. This proved to be a benefit in keeping the load-bearing forces in check. In addition, we built up the forefoot to accommodate the issues he had with his toes.” The science in the shoe couldn’t save Yao’s career, but that’s not where the big-picture story ends.

Before Yao, players wouldn’t dream of signing with smaller, overseas shoe companies; it simply was not an option. But Yao’s worldwide impact on the League opened the door for several international brands—especially Far Eastern ones.

Yao’s one-time teammates Shane Battier, Kyle Lowry and Patrick Patterson are all signed with China-based Peak, Luis Scola has a deal with Anta and it doesn’t stop there. Li-Ning has deals with Baron Davis and Evan Turner, as well as a distribution deal with Shaq. Additionally, Jason Kidd rocked Peak in the Finals, and last summer Kevin Garnett inked a deal with Anta. And it’s not like Chinese companies aren’t going for the gusto and targeting stars, too. When Kobe Bryant’s old Nike deal expired in ’07, Li-Ning made a bid to sign him. Did they have a chance? Probably not, but that just shows you the ambition and confidence that brands have on the international market.

Some of this is due to the overall growth of China as an economic superpower and on some level probably would have happened at some point regardless. But Yao’s presence on the world stage definitely helped create the climate in which these possibilities could flourish.

In the case of Eric Gordon, what you see is what you get. The Los Angeles Clippers guard, now a vet of three NBA seasons, has always been that way, whether he’s directly in the spotlight or lurking in the shadows. Just check the track record.

Seemingly doing it since he shed the stroller and could walk on his own, which presumably happened first on a Naptown court, wherever Gordon plays he manages to get buckets. From his high-scoring days at Indianapolis’ North Central HS—where he dropped 50 a couple times as a senior and settled for 43 in a nationally televised game against Michael Jordan’s sons’ team with His Airness in the stands— to his lone, tumultuous year at Indiana University and now with the Clips, where he’s paired with Blake Griffin to form one of the most entertaining and versatile tandems in the League. But it also feels like he’s been playing the background for just as long.

Despite Gordon’s Swiss Army knife package of an explosive first step, enough bunnies to be in All-Star Weekend’s Dunk Contest (although he’s much more of a game dunker), a pure stroke with unlimited range (that’s how they make ’em in the Hoosier State) and a frame that looks ready to play strong safety in the NFL, he doesn’t get that League-wide shine, even though he plays with one of the most exciting players in the NBA. Again, nothing new for him.

“I try to think of myself as one of the better guards out there, but it’s all about whatever people think,” says Gordon, in a laconic midwestern drawl that belies his on-court intensity. “All I worry about is whether I can get the job done and help the team in any kind of way.”

Going back to his days as an underclassman prep star in a hoops-crazed state, Gordon took the back seat to the likes of fellow future pros Greg Oden, Mike Conley and even Josh McRoberts in AAU ball before pairing up with reigning League MVP Derrick Rose in his final season on the circuit—forming arguably the best backcourt the summer’s ever seen—and while EJ’s (Eric Junior) scoring prowess and mature game had him equal or higher to Pooh Rose in the national rankings, his game didn’t have quite the hype as the more exciting Windy City native.

When he hit the college scene—following a wild recruiting saga that saw him receive death threats after backing out of a commitment to Illinois in order to attend his home state’s flagship school—he put in work from the jump, averaging 20.9 ppg in the rugged Big Ten. His efforts, though, were overshadowed by the overblown phone-call scandal and subsequent dismissal of Coach Kelvin Sampson.

Upon arrival in the L, the No. 7 pick in the ’08 NBA Draft did what he always does, averaging a solid 16.1 ppg as a rook and following that up with 16.9 ppg in his second pro campaign. But playing for a typically sad-sack Clippers squad, the numbers didn’t exactly make headlines.

With the arrival of Griffin—who missed the entire ’09-10 season due to a knee injury—the “second” team in the City of Angels, while not yet a powerhouse or even a legit Playoff contender, showed signs of promise, going from 19 wins his debut campaign to 29 victories his second season and last year, 32. Obviously, that had a lot to do with Griffin’s impact, but what went overlooked by many—see a common theme yet?—was Gordon’s breakout season. “Every Lottery player goes to a team that doesn’t have a good record, and you always try to find a way to pick up that winning mentality in that organization, so I think we’re starting to find that and it’s good to be here,” Gordon asserts. “We should be able to get it going and be in the Playoffs next year.”

If it wasn’t for a wrist injury that caused him to miss 26 games, Gordon should have gotten at least some Love in the Most Improved Player balloting. Check his stats: 22.3 ppg, 4.4 dimes, 45 percent from the field, 82.5 percent from the charity stripe. If that doesn’t scream All-Star in the very near future, even in the loaded West, nothing does.

“Last year I tried to be a leader, help the team score and be a big playmaker,” says Gordon, who admits making the Western Conference All-Star Team is one of his goals for next season (“and hopefully many more”). “We saw something special in us last season, so we’re trying to get together and build more chemistry with the young players we have.

“The key for us, since we’re a young team, is to keep being physical, stay healthy and play hard every game,” continues the sharpshooter, who says his summer with the Gold medal-winning USA Basketball team in Turkey not only gave him confidence but helped him “learn more” about himself; playing in next summer’s Olympics in London is another goal of his. “This past year was our only year playing together and we definitely needed experience.”

Over the course of the line’s lifetime, Jordan Brand has become synonymous with excellence, exclusivity and style. In keeping with that ethos, JB is especially judicious in selecting athletes to represent them on and off the court—think Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. That’s why Jordan’s recent decision to make Maya Moore the brand’s first female endorser makes so much sense.

Don’t believe us? Ask MJ himself.

“Maya’s strong work ethic, competitive nature and high basketball IQ makes her a tremendous ambassador for the Jordan Brand and the game of basketball,” Michael Jordan explains exclusively to KICKS.

In her four years at UConn, Moore established herself as one of the best college basketball players of all time: She won back-to-back Player of the Year awards, recorded 150 wins and played a major role in the NCAA record 90-game win streak that spanned the better part of her stay on campus. Not surprisingly, in this past April’s WNBA Draft, the 6-0 jack-of-all-trades was selected first overall by the Minnesota Lynx. Shortly thereafter, in mid-May, the folks at Jordan Brand made her their first choice as well.

“As a student of the game, it is a dream come true to align myself with a brand that has a rich history in sports,” Moore said upon signing. “Like most kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and continue to work relentlessly to reach his iconic status on the court.”

While Moore’s signing is a big step for her and JB, it’s also a giant leap for women’s basketball, which has gained an unquantifiable amount of exposure through the Jordan/Moore union.

“The more popular it gets that way, the more coverage we’ll get and it will keep going in a circle, getting more popular,” said Moore.

As for the kicks themselves, on June 3, 2011, Moore made her WNBA debut in a custom colorway of the Jordan Fly Wade that matched the Lynx’ blue, silver and white jerseys. Aside from basketball skills, a glimmer of her endorsement savvy was on display earlier that day, too, when she announced what she’d be rocking by tweeting out (@MooreMaya) a picture of the PEs to her more than 30,000 followers.

Although there are no current plans for a signature shoe, Jordan Brand clearly sees Maya Moore as the future of woman’s basketball, and they plan on being there with her every step along the way.

Michael Jordan had a problem with these shoes. This was six years ago. I was in Chicago for the interview that would run in SLAM 100, and you can imagine the pressure I felt—not about the interview itself, but about what to wear.

Unwilling to wear Jordans so I didn’t look like another pilgrim bowing before the shrine, I wore these: Seamless Air Force 1s. I was going for sharp but understated, fresh but not flashy. I felt they achieved the desired effect.

What did I know? I sat down in a chair across from Michael for what would be a 13-minute interview. We shook hands. He looked down at my shoes. And you know what he said?

“You guys,” he said. “You guys steal.” He explained that “we”—by which I believe he meant Jordan Brand, which is of course part of Nike—had designed a pair of shoes that were similar, and that someone at Nike proper (somehow my guilt seemed implicit) had stolen this idea and rushed them through production so that I could wear them today. It was a memorable encounter, making these memorable shoes.

Now I wear them to mow my lawn.

I moved to Pennsylvania in ’07, and while I’m lucky to stay connected to SLAM, I knew I was leaving certain things behind. Sacrificing these 1s to the demands of home ownership was part of that. My new life couldn’t justify scrubbing my kicks with a toothbrush after every wear; it couldn’t justify sneakers very much at all, except on weekends, and then usually to chase my kids or cut my grass. Priorities, man. I don’t think Mike would have a problem with that.

On a sweltering June morning in Paris, a provisional blacktop bedecked with the Jordan Brand logo under each basket sizzled as if it were a skillet prepped for frying bacon. The scene was the Trocadéro, which crowns the Chaillot Hill and offers a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower. The event was the most known unknown streetball tournament in the world, Quai 54. About to open the doors to the public, Quai 54’s founder, Hammadoun Sidibe, instructs his retinue as they let in thousands of fans that had been waiting since 4 a.m. to take part in the hip-hop hoops spectacle. Not too many years ago, before Quai 54, the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic at Rucker Park was every streetball fiends’ summer hooptopia. But now, in its fourth straight year with the backing of Michael Jordan’s shoe empire, the international tournament with modest beginnings at 54 Quai Michelet de Levallois in the suburbs of Paris has become the juggernaut of street basketball in Europe.

“Jordan Brand looked at it as an opportunity to help take the game of basketball global as well as show the rest of the world that the brand was going global,” says Gentry Humphrey, GM of Jordan Brand International. “It was a natural thing to do and I think the partnership has been great and every year we’ve tried to up our game a little bit. I think when you take a look at where we are today, it’s going be hard to top next year, but we’ll see.”

The synergy between Jordan Brand and Quai 54 has vaulted the one-of-a-kind event to the next level. The only tournament to ever get its own custom Jordan Brand shoe, the two-day Quai 54 is now a platform for players who are getting the opportunity to double as tastemakers.

“This year is special for me because of the people, the event, the Eiffel Tower location and to be able to have our own special shoe,” says Sidibe. “It’s a Jordan V Retro, a classic with a special colorway just for us. The great thing is Jordan Brand had a great vision for the Quai 54. They saw what we did with the international teams and decided that they have business in all of those countries…They drive us in a good way and we drive them in a good way. I am very proud to be sponsored by them. I want them to sponsor us forever.”

Over the course of two days, streetball legends and pro ballers on 16 teams from all over the globe—the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Latvia, Canada and the US, among others—donned custom Jordan Brand uniforms and Quai 54-exclusive, limited edition Air Jordan V Retro and Jordan Iso II kicks to play in an elimination-style competition.

“We partnered up with Foot Locker Europe’s House of Hoops and created a special outdoor shoe for this event called the Iso II,” explains Humphrey. “Three years ago, we introduced the first theme where we tried to combine the sport of basketball along with something that represents Paris: The Wine and Grind. We did the elements of fine wines with the grind of the basketball court and we did two shoes for that event. The second year we introduced the Air Jordan I and we had this burst of color that was kind of a big influence with it and we did that with an outdoor basketball shoe. This year, we came up with the theme of the blending of two worlds…The colors are bright and we applied that to two shoes: the outdoor basketball shoe in black and green and then the Air Jordan V in a special black and green. Usually, we don’t do any Retros for special events, but because we have a big focus in this particular tournament, we decided to introduce Retros in this event.”

The legendary Air Jordan V Retro has a classic premium tumbled black leather upper with luminous green accents on the lace tabs and outsole. The Jumpman adorns the tongue and back of the shoe, as per usual, and has the Quai 54 logo embroidered on the side. Unsurprisingly, these hard-to-find Jordans have sneakerheads foaming at the mouth.

“This year for the Retro V, we only offered it in the white base all throughout Europe, that’s it,” says Humphrey. “Then we did a limited edition version in black and green and we only did 54 pair, for Quai 54 players as well as special guests of Quai 54 and influencers within the Jordan Brand. So unless you buy them online or from a special store in Europe, you can’t get these in the US.”

Shoes laced and tightened, legions of basketball enthusiasts sardined into the venue as the first jump ball of the 2011 Quai 54 was tossed into the baking Parisian sky. As the players played and the fans cheered, a 13-year-old named Ibrahim refereed. Diminutive and skinny, the impish ref, Q-Tipped with a fresh pair of true blue Air Jordan IIIs, doled out fouls and charges like a young Steve Javie. The games were played under FIBA rules and one motto: Bring Your Game, Not Your Name.

“This tournament started out in the hood,” says Nhamo Shire, founder of the famed Midnight Madness tournament in England. “Look at the genesis of Quai 54 over the last five years. You’ve got teams now coming in from Japan, China and now it’s truly global and people have the awareness of this tournament on a global level. The brand awareness is through the roof. The swag is on a million right now, it’s ridiculous. It’s come from humble but authentic beginnings. It wasn’t about putting on a tournament to floss, it was about competition. It’s just that right timing, right place and Jordan Brand jumped on it because it’s like a boutique brand, and Paris is like a boutique city, and so I think those combinations just exploded.”

Shire reiterates that Quai 54 is about a lot more than basketball and sneaks, though. “You have the basketball here, obviously, but you’ll see the dancing, the MC-ing, double dutch, all the elements of our culture that is now mainstream. We never had that in Europe, so it’s a big thing.”

While fans watch from the stadium seats or their living room couches as Blake Griffin soars through the air en route to completing the poster-providing, gravity-defying rim rattlers we’ve come to expect from him, the vantage point from which Griffin’s defenders take in the scene has one advantage: an excellent view of BG’s kicks, which tend to be right around eye level at least a few times each game. Whenever this coming season finally starts, those poor guys will get a close-up look at the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011.

The Hyperdunk 2011s feature Nike’s Flywire technology along the upper, with tensile fibers surrounded by a layer of mesh and TPU overlays providing both lightweight breathability and the proper amount of cushioning to finish fearlessly around the rim just like the reigning Rookie of the Year is known to do. “The Hyperdunk gives me an unfair advantage just by being really comfortable to my [feet] and fitting really well and being durable, but at the same time being lightweight and allowing me to make any move I want and staying with me the whole time,” the Dunk Contest winner said in June on his personal YouTube channel.

The sneakers, which Griffin rocked at the 2011 All-Star Game in a special “10.0” PE edition, also contain air units in the heel and a seamless forefoot innersleeve designed for ventilation and comfort. Elsewhere, there’s an external heel counter for optimal stability and a 3-D shaped midfoot shank that’ll help maintain responsiveness on the hardwood.

Just like the Hyperdunk—which debuted to much acclaim in ’08—continues to evolve, Griffin hopes to do the same. Assuming the powers that be allow him to take the court in an NBA setting this fall, the power forward with the meanest interior game on the West Coast will look to improve upon the 22.5 ppg and 12.1 rpg averages that earned him ROY honors in his debut season. He’s clearly got the in-your-face, Slamadamonth thing down, but he knows the game extends beyond the paint. “I’m working on a lot of areas of my game,” Griffin continued in the aforementioned vid. “For the most part, just extending my shooting range and getting more and more comfortable shooting from wherever on the court. And at the same time, being a leader for my team and really trying to learn the game and study the game.”

Between Griffin’s exhilarating style of play, the fresh Hyperdunks that’ll be on his feet and the up-and-coming group of teammates that’ll surround him in L.A.—including high-flying combo guard Eric Gordon and promising young big men DeAndre Jordan and Al-Farouq Aminu—the Clippers will be must-see TV this winter. An unfortunate reality for those tasked with D-ing up BG.

No matter what creative project he’s working on, super-producer Swizz Beatz always approaches it with the same goal: to make history. He’s bringing that mindset to his new role as Creative Director of Reebok Classics.

As a child growing up in the South Bronx, Swizzy thought the only way he’d ever have a signature sneaker of his own was if he spray painted a store-bought one. Now, though, he’s eschewing that very opportunity in hopes of accomplishing something even bigger—for himself and Reebok.

“I’m putting my hand in and influencing the brand, influencing the culture and influencing everybody to be a part of something that’s new and fresh,” says Swizz, who states that what he’s doing is far afield of what celebrity endorsers have done with Reebok in the past. “They were on stage saying [their own names]. They wasn’t saying nothing about Reebok.”

Swizzy is, though, and all it takes is a quick glimpse at popular culture to see he has a whole gang of tastemakers saying it with him. Early this past summer at Hot 97’s Summer Jam at the New Meadowlands Stadium, artists ranging from Chris Brown to Lil Wayne took to the stage in an array of Reebok apparel. Right around that time, Meek Mill and Rick Ross released a “Reebok Back” remix of their hit song “Tupac Back.” They filmed a video for it, too, in which the two could be seen clad in Capital R apparel.

Not lacking for high-profile support, Swizz has already guided the design of the Kamikaze IIIs, the I Am Basquiat apparel and kicks line and the global Reethym of Life campaign. And it would be an understatement to say that Swizzy’s taken a hands-on approach to every aspect of his new job. “Anything I’m involved with I have to be passionate about, otherwise it’s a waste of my time,” says Swizz, who has had a voice in everything from selecting the Kamikazes’ colorways to envisioning the Reethym of Life advertorial (where he literally lends his voice, as his single “International Party” is featured). “I’m happy with the response,” he continues. “People come up to me to ask if they can get a pair, and 90 percent of these people are with other brands already. So we must be doing something right.”

He enters a classroom at La Salle Academy in Manhattan’s East Village and quickly takes a seat. Groggy and a bit peeved—not for any particular reason; that’s just his usual state of being—he doesn’t proceed to take out a backpack, or open a book or write in a loose-leaf. That’s expected, though. Jim Jones is back at school, but he’s not here to attend class. The rapper from Harlem and his crew—which today consists of college and streetball standouts—are here to play in Converse’s Band of Ballers Tournament. Jones and Co. aren’t just present to play, however. The two-time defending Band of Ballers champs are here to wrap up a three-peat, and, brash and cocky, they’re letting everybody know it.

“I don’t think the competition will be up to par for another couple of seasons,” says Jones. “Until people really get that we’re coming with a bomb squad all the time.”

Class, competition, trash talk—all of it’s good, but none of it’s the reason for today’s tournament. Rather, it’s about Converse showcasing the unquestionable bond between sports and music.

“The camaraderie…the way [Converse] brings different artists together from different towns,” says Jones, of “We Fly High” fame. “Let people see it’s not always about aggression and going back and forth. It shows the sportsmanship. Plus, we like playing ball. It’s an aggressive, competitive sport and that’s what rapping and the music industry is coming from. Competition is always good.”

Jones’ enthusiasm and passion for the game is exactly the reason Converse created the Band of Ballers Tournament three years ago. You’ve all seen the highs (“Can’t Stop the Reign” by Shaquille O’Neal featuring Biggie Smalls) and lows (everything else recorded by Shaq) of the jock MC, as well as rappers’ affinity for basketball (Jay-Z’s minority ownership of the New Jersey Nets and Master P’s failed NBA run, for two). It was only a matter of time before a major sneaker company picked up on the connection. Converse is undoubtedly the right brand for the job.

“We work with musicians and artists every day, and lots of them play basketball,” says Geoff Cottrill, CMO of Converse. “So we saw an opportunity to bring legitimate musicians who play legitimate basketball in a small 3-on-3 tournament. The first one was in New York, the second one was in Atlanta and now the third one is back in New York City.”

This year’s event also marked the first time it was televised. MTV2 provided the perfect vehicle for Band of Ballers to get its first taste of national exposure.

“The crazy goal for this when I first started was to get it on MTV in the next three to four years,” says Cottrill. “People were like, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We’re a part of the game of basketball and we have every right to be in the game. We’re proud of our heritage in basketball, and this is sort of a fresh new way to take a look at what’s going on in basketball. For our third tournament to be on MTV2 is a huge compliment. I think culturally they understand sort of the natural blending of where entertainment, lifestyle, culture and sport come together. Not just sport for the sake of sport and the profession of sport.”

Similarly to the channel’s diverse mix of music videos on rotation, the participating teams also brought their unique blend of genre-bending artists. Along with Jones’ Harlem crew, Band of Ballers competitors included Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang, Chiddy Bang’s Team Swell, the Lil Twist and Corey Gunz-led YMCMB and Team Brooklyn featuring Matt and Kim along with Community’s Donald Glover.

“To me it’s crazy that we’re going to play basketball with Matt and Kim and Jim Jones,” Xaphoon Jones, one half of Chiddy Bang, says. “To see who Converse was going to bring on board is amazing.”

“The teams are mixed and matched with [real] players,” says Chiddy, the other half of Chiddy Bang. “They’re either ex-Harlem Globetrotters, some NBA players or professional players.”

Converse is so committed to maintaining the marriage of music and sports that it has also built a studio for up-and-coming artists. The studio, called Rubber Tracks, opened in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn the same week as the Band of Ballers event. Rubber Tracks is located on Hope St. off the corner of Keap St. No joke.

“The music world has been real good to Converse for a long time,” says Cottrill. “So we [built] our new studio in Brooklyn for new artists who can’t afford to get into a good quality studio. We’re going to bring them in, let them record their demo for free and let them retain all the rights. You go to Converse.com/RubberTracks and there’s a whole application process. You apply, you get accepted and you get a certain amount of studio time.”

With Band of Ballers and now Rubber Tracks, Converse is taking the oft-rhymed about connection between music and sports to the next level. It only makes sense for the sneaker company that has produced special editions for Nirvana, Metallica and more recently Bad Meets Evil (an Eminem and Royce Da 5’9” collabo that saw special Chuck Taylors made in its honor).

“We’ve had a rich history with basketball and also with music and the coming together of those two things in a unique way [is] paying respect to the game,” says Cottrill. “We’re paying respect to the game by playing real basketball. It allows these artists to step outside of their artistic persona for a minute and just ball with their friends. It’s been funny to watch because as the years have progressed, the teams have gotten better and better. You’re going to see some serious straight-up basketball.”

Though the quality of play has improved steadily over the past three years, The Jones Family continued its dominance and found itself in the finals once again, where it faced Team Brooklyn. Jones, however, was denied a three-peat, and now will have to wait until next year to hoist up the Golden Speaker Trophy. Of course, getting back to the finals won’t be easy, as Converse hopes to expand Band of Ballers way beyond a slice of the East Coast.

“Maybe we’ll do it around a great big basketball weekend sort of festivity,” says Cottrill. “But I can also see doing a couple of these around the world as well. Basketball is a universal sport. You don’t have to play in the NBA to love this game. The cool thing is that these guys will be rocking the mic tonight or last night, but today they’re just some guys playing basketball.”

When the horn sounds on Team Brooklyn’s championship win, Jim Jones is a mad, mad man. Storming out of La Salle after the loss, Jones stomps and scowls his way across the street. He’s not happy with the flow of the game. He’s not happy with the refs. He’s not happy with the loss. Just like your typical star baller.

When Kemba Walker returns to New York these days, cameras follow. Our Flip video recorder did. Atiba Jefferson snapped beautiful portraits for Walker’s KICKS cover. And of course, Under Armour’s deft lensmen did as well. As the UA-signed rook visited his alma mater Rice HS and moved around NYC, he was shown more love than if it was Valentine’s Day. Corny to say, but it’s true folks. Kemba truly has the Big Apple watching his every move.

A month ago, we spent a day with Kemba Walker. By now, hopefully, you’ve seen the KICKS cover and in-book story that came of it. What you haven’t seen until today, though, is behind-the-scenes footage of our time spent traversing New York, NY, with the Bronx-bred, Under Armour-signed 2011 draft pick.

The video—in conjunction with E-I-C Ben Osborne’s dope cover story—should give you a solid feel for what a day with Walker, one of two basketball players Under Armour aligned with this summer, is like.

Below is a brief synopsis of what hanging with Walker consisted of:

• We started off the day at McCombs Dam Park, a large, outdoor area in the Bronx, directly across the street from Yankee Stadium. Between photoshoot takes—courtesy of the great Atiba Jefferson—local kids came running up to the basketball court to show Walker, their hometown hero, much love. At one point, as you can hear and see in the vid, a middle-aged man leaned against a nearby fence and began yelling at Walker, telling him how good he was and how much he appreciated him.

• From there we walked down the block to the elevated 161 Street-Yankee Stadium subway station. An iconic symbol of NYC, we thought it’d be cool to shoot Walker by the tracks. Though he said he hadn’t ridden the subway since high school (!), he was more than happy to once again handle a MetroCard and hit the platform. So after eating a quick lunch, we ascended the stairway. Once on the ‘form we got swallowed up by a large crowd, which just meant a large amount of Kemba love.

• The next stop was the soon-to-be-defunct Rice High School. Located in Harlem, Rice was where Walker played his prep school ball. Despite the sweltering heat and lack of air-conditioning, we hung out in the gym for a while, chilling (or maybe we should call it heating), getting to know each other, etc. It was crazy, Walker said, that this would be his last time in his old school. He made the most of it.

• After exiting the building, we talked shop on the stoop (basketball and shoes—some of which you can hear in this video). As we sat there, a bunch of Harlemites across the street stopped to show their man respect. After acknowledging his loyal admirers—we bumped into so many of them, Walker was taken aback—we wrapped up our time together.

The synopsis doesn’t do the day justice. But between that, the story and this video, you should get a pretty good picture of what went into Kemba Walker’s KICKS cover.

The greatest thing about some of the most iconic bball sneakers ever created is that their designs allowed them to maintain great levels of performance for their era. In most cases, the best shoes that have stood the test of time were top-of-the-line products that somehow changed the way the industry thought about design, fit and functionality. But…they age, and with age comes antiquity. In the cases of three particular sneakers, with the wonderful illustrative help of the guys from 4 Cent Design, I essentially rebuilt the shoes with new tech packs to show what more they can become when redesigned.

The first case in point is the Air Jordan XI, a shoe largely known for its ballistic mesh upper, patent leather and transparent rubber outsole. The greatest performance aspect of the shoe is that its fit was as 1/1 to a player’s foot as possible for its ’95 release, but it fell short in lockdown and ankle stability. In a 2011 rebuild, my Air Jordan XI would feature Flywire lace loops for a more snug fit, full-length Zoom Air for improved response, an internal memory foam heel and collar, heel and forefoot Podulon/IPS in the herringbone outsole panels for impact protection, a full-length Cushlon midsole and hidden medial monkey paws to prevent inversion of the ankle.

The Converse All Star Chuck Taylor, the original American classic, changed the way basketball was played forever with the patented gum rubber sole that greatly helped in shock absorption. The Chucks’ canvas body lent way to great breathability, but the foot that wore the shoe was often left vulnerable to the effects of traumatic levels of torque from the dynamic play. What if the Chuck Taylor were re-realized with full-length Balls in the midsole, a synthetic micro-knit upper with Flywire eyelet reinforcement, and the possibility of an internal Y-Bar heel and ankle collar construction? Wilt Chamberlain may have gone for 150 points in these.

Lastly, we take for granted the merits of the Nike Dunk as a moderately lightweight sneaker that really set the stage for premier non-signature shoes. Of course, the Dunk’s lack of cushioning and its degrading fit are causes for a reimagining. Think of what could be if the new Dunk borrowed the SB Dunk Mids ankle strap and the Nike Trainer Dunks forefoot strap (enhanced with Skinwire) for support? Add an external TPU heel counter for heel lockdown and maybe the eyestay and toe rand would connect the higher and lower straps for more support unity. Just like that, the Nike Dunk 2011 gets lighter, stronger and more mobile.

Wesley Johson: I grew up in Corsicana, about 40 miles south of Dallas. Most of my family lives there, in Texas.

SLAM: Did you come up in a competitive basketball environment?

WJ: Yeah, I did. Especially with my AAU teammates—I always played against older kids when I was growing up, so that really pushed me. We always went around and played in different YMCAs.

SLAM: Any notable spots that you grew up spending a lot of time at?

WJ: The Y[MCA]. It was hot, too hot outside, so we used to play at night [outside], but it was still too hot. So we used to go to the Y after school, on weekends. We were in there from when we got up until it closed.

SLAM: You started playing college ball at Iowa State, then had to sit out a season after transferring to Syracuse. How tough was that year for you?

WJ: That was a hard, hard year. But it really helped me work on my game and helped me get to the situation I’m in now.

SLAM: What was the most important thing Coach Jim Boeheim taught you?

WJ: He taught me to always stay ready, and always watch, because I was sitting out [after transferring]. All the little stuff he told me to do, I think that really helped me mentally, when I started playing and for now.

SLAM: At what point during this whole process did you realize you had a true NBA career ahead of you?

WJ: I’d have to say when we played North Carolina. After the year I sat out, I finally got a test when we played North Carolina, and after I did that, I was like, Yeah, this is possible.

SLAM: Growing up, did you have a favorite pair of kicks?

WJ: Oh man, growing up, it was probably the Jordans that I grew up wearing. I had a pair of [adidas] Crazy 8s, and I had Jordans—those were the two I would wear.

SLAM: Do you remember your first pair?

WJ: My first pair were the white-and-black Crazy 8s. After that, I got the white-and-black IXs.

SLAM: When you went pro, you signed with adidas. Why?

WJ: I went with adidas because I really just love the product. It was really just going up to the headquarters and meeting everybody and seeing the shoes. I love sneakers, and I grew up wearing the shoes, so they blessed me with an opportunity and I went with ’em.

SLAM: How big is your sneaker collection?

WJ: [Laughs] Honestly, I couldn’t even put a number on it. I have boxes in my living room. I have shoes that I take with me to Michigan, Minnesota, here [L.A.] I have a humongous shoe collection.

SLAM: Growing up, if you could only watch one guy play, who would it have been?

WJ: One guy?!

SLAM: Yeah, someone you’d rather watch play more than anybody else.

WJ: Scottie Pippen.

SLAM: Why?

WJ: Because he did everything on the court, as far as defending, scoring, whatever—on the court, he was doing it. I liked that all-around [game].

SLAM: Did you shape your game after his?

WJ: Yeah, just trying to be an all-around player. I was intrigued that he was such an all-around player.

SLAM: Do you get to give back charity-wise at all?

WJ: Yeah. Actually, when I just went back home to see my family, we were actually talking about that—doing stuff with kids and doing stuff with the community. My family is really into church and stuff, so whenever I can, I do. This was my first year, and whenever I had free time I really had to [practice], but that’s what I plan on doing.

SLAM: What’s the biggest lesson you took out of your rookie year?

WJ: Really just try to stay positive. We had all of those losses, but I was really just trying to stay positive, and be ready. You never know what’s going to happen.

For the new issue of KICKS, I spent a sweltering day last month with Warriors guard Monta Ellis (and his family) at his sprawling estate in a gated community about 45 minutes outside of Memphis. In a wide-ranging interview—really more of a conversation—we talked about a variety of topics, from his thoughts on Golden State’s coaching hire to how marriage has changed his outlook on life.

Even though it was for a cover story, I didn’t have the space to fit everything into the piece, which is out now in New York and will be available everywhere else next week, so I figured during these dog days of August and the NBA lockout, readers might be interested in learning a little more about the high-scoring Jackson, MS, native.

On his status within the League:

[All-Star snubs] never did [make a difference] to me anyway.

The only thing I know is they (Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade) respect my game just as much as I respect theirs and that’s the only thing that matters. As long as they know when they come on that court and they tie their shoes up against me that we’re going to go toe to toe, it’s going to be a barn-burner, there isn’t any backing down, none of that. It’s just going to be us and the best team wins.

No, I don’t [get enough credit for being an all-around player]. It is what it is. That can’t stop me. I’ve always been looked at as this person or looked at as that person, or did this and did that, or can’t do this and can’t do that. I don’t really listen to it. I’m going to do what I need to do. People know that I play defense. Do they give me credit? No. Do I care? No. At the end of the day, I’m still going to go out there and do what I need to do. You can’t not play defense. You go look at the stats for the last five years, you can’t be in the top three—I’m not saying the top five—in steals for the last five years and not play defense. [Rajon] Rondo and Chris Paul have been there, in that same realm, but you say they play defense. But when it comes to me, I can’t play defense. I don’t let it bother me. Out of everything, I let it motivate me.

I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve I might bring out for next season…I’m not going to say, but I’ve got a little something. It’s going to be a different—I guarantee you when I step on that court—it’s going to be a different Monta Ellis and everybody’s going to know it.

On his lack of name recognition, despite his numbers:

You can say that because, for one, I’m playing for a West Coast team and being in the East or being here (the South), it’s a two or three-hour [time] difference. When I’m playing basketball, people are sleeping or kids are getting ready to go to school, so I can agree with you in a sense.

I’m known more than people think and not more than I should be, but more than you would think.

It’s good to have the respect from your peers and everything, but I just go out there and try to do whatever I can do to help my team win. It really doesn’t matter if they acknowledge it or not and I’m going to continue to do what I have to try to do to get over that hump, and eventually, one day, they will.

I don’t really think about it like that. I don’t think stats-wise—I just go out and play basketball. Me playing basketball, my game’s going to speak for itself. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. The only thing that I know is I know that I went out there every night and left it on the court. That’s all that I can ask for. I did everything that I can possibly do.

That’s it. By any means necessary. Whatever I need to do. That’s how I see it.

On being undersized:

I’ve been doing that all my life. When I was playing with my oldest brother, I was usually playing with the kids in his age group. My oldest brother is five years older than me. So, I used to play with kids in his age group. I never played with the kids in my age group, even when I was in middle school. When I was in middle school, I worked out with the high school kids. When I was in high school, I worked out with Mo [Williams] and them, when they were in college. When I was in high school, going up to my last two years, my junior and senior years, I was working out with Mo and them. They were in the NBA. So, I always worked out with the older guys. I never worked out with my age group or younger.

It was easy because I always faced that, my whole life. I was always the smallest one on the court. Always. Even in high school. Always.

On the Warriors’ future:

We’re in a great position to take another step. We just need to add us another solid big man that can score in the post down there and we’ll be alright. We don’t have to shake our team up—‘We’ve got to make these changes’—no, we don’t. We’ve just got to add a little few pieces to what we’ve got. The new coaches, the ownership, everybody gets on the same page, and just go out there and see what it do. Put all the cards on the table.

I can’t speak [about] years from now. Just have to wait and see. I’m not fitting to go ahead and talk about I want to demand a trade and do all this. No. If y’all trade me, y’all trade me. The one thing about it, I’m not going to go out and say I want to be traded, I don’t like this. If I do, it’s going to be closed doors, it’s going to be private, you’ll never know about it. If I do, do that. But right now, I’m just focused on being a Warrior for the next two, three years, however many years I’ve got left on my contract and go from there.

As always, we were looking for compelling players who also have unique footwear stories. Our man Rajon more than fits the bill.

On the court last season, Rondo averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 2.3 steals (the latter two each good for second in the League), firmly establishing that in terms of Boston’s MVP, the “Big Three” now all take a backseat to the “Big One.” And that’s exactly what Rondo is: a big 1, blessed with long arms, serious athleticism and a fine-tuned court sense that allows him to complete plays at both ends of the floor that most PGs wouldn’t even try. As well as LeBron and Wade played at the end of last spring’s Eastern Conference Semis, Celtic fans rightly wonder if things might have gone differently if Rajon hadn’t suffered that gruesome injury in G3.

Besides Celtics fans, one group of observers that has come to fully appreciate Rajon’s wide-ranging appeal are the folks at Nike Basketball, who went through their massive roster of athletes and made him the face of the Zoom Hyperfuse 2011. If these light-but-sturdy, dope looking kicks can perform for Rajon, why can’t they make better ballers out of all of us?

For this cover story, after we shot Rajon at his camp in Louisville, SLAM Editor-at-Large Lang Whitaker jumped on the phone with Rajon to discuss the state of his elbow and a whole lot about his game and his shoes. For fans of the Celtics, Nike or just of Rajon, it’s a must read.

Elsewhere in the issue, besides the cover stories on Kemba and Monta, we packed the usual broad range of pieces into a very meaty 104-page issue (ok, so we aren’t quite Vogue, but trust me: 104 is a healthy book in 2011.) There’s Eric Gordon talking about his maturation as a player and the adidas Stupidly Light he’ll be rocking. We sent writer Maurice Bobb all the way to Paris to cover Quai 54, an incredible streetball event made extra special thanks to Jordan Brand’s financial and product support. There are also stories on Yao Ming’s shoe legacy, Swizz Beatz’ partnership with Reebok, Blake Griffin as the face of the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011, Converse’s Band of Ballers, APL, ATR, BALL’N and so much more.

If you like basketball and shoes, you’ve simply got to cop this. Look for all three covers on newsstands in New York City starting today, while stores in the rest of the country should have it next week.

And with the lockout news so depressing, we couldn’t have been more ready for our annual sneaker extravaganza.

This year’s edition, our 14th, has three covers: Kemba, Rajon and Monta Ellis.

How does Kemba, who has yet to play an NBA game, make the cut?

Pretty easily, actually. For one thing, we’re talking about the biggest name in the 2011 Draft. Maybe not the player most likely to be an All-Star, but on the strength of a highlight-filled, magical run to the National Championship, King Kemba has a massive fan base and an accessible personality that will keep those fans engaged for years.

Recognizing Walker’s appeal to such a broad swath of fans—UConn Huskies Nation, New Yorkers, kids, anyone who’s ever been told they’re too small to accomplish something—Under Armour outbid some more established brands and signed Kemba to an endorsement deal that should be hugely beneficial to both parties.

Besides money, Kemba, who will wear the Micro G Juke this year, will get the chance to be featured in ad campaigns, eventually have a signature shoe and have a large say in how said shoe looks and performs.

The cover story, written by yours truly, is built off getting to spend an entire day with Kemba in his home city. We started in the Bronx and ended up at his old high school Rice, chatting, taking photos and watching him get love from passersby the whole time. He’s a cool, humble young man, and I think I got some great stuff out of him…but you’ll have to read it yourself to see for sure.

Elsewhere in the issue, besides the cover stories on Rajon and Monta, we packed the usual broad range of pieces into a very meaty 104-page issue (ok, so we aren’t quite Vogue, but trust me: 104 is a healthy book in 2011.) There’s Eric Gordon talking about his maturation as a player and the adidas Stupidly Light he’ll be rocking. We sent writer Maurice Bobb all the way to Paris to cover Quai 54, an incredible streetball event made extra special thanks to Jordan Brand’s financial and product support. There are also stories on Yao Ming’s shoe legacy, Swizz Beatz’ partnership with Reebok, Blake Griffin as the face of the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011, Converse’s Band of Ballers, APL, ATR, BALL’N and so much more.

If you like basketball and shoes, you’ve simply got to cop this. Look for all three covers on newsstands in New York City starting today, while stores in the rest of the country should have it next week.

This year’s edition, our 14th, has three covers: Kemba, Rajon and this tattooed wonder: Monta Ellis.

How does Monta fit in?

Very nicely, thank you.

You could make a case that this guy is the most deserving current NBA player to never have appeared on one of our covers, SLAM, KICKS or otherwise. You know, sort of like you could say he’s the best player to never be an All-Star. The last two seasons have seen him average 25.5 and 24.1 points per game, respectively. And these aren’t run-of-the-mill points. These are points scored by a 6-3, 175-pound dynamo who attacks the rim like men 100 pounds heavier. We’re talking serious degree of difficulty, and serious highlight-reel material. Add in his look and Southern flavor, and its exactly the type of player we’ve long celebrated.

And, like the other cover subjects, Monta’s footwear story is probably equal to his playing career in terms of uniqueness. Ellis, who will wear a signature model, the AND 1 ME8 Empire, if and when this season tips off, has been the best player on AND 1’s roster for several years now. Like the over-sized role he’s had to fill on the Warriors the last few seasons, it’s a responsibility the 25-year-old Ellis welcomes.

For Monta’s cover story, we sent longtime SLAM writer and Comcast SportsNets’ Bulls Insider Aggrey Sam to Monta’s off-season home outside Memphis, where the two chopped it up about hoops, shoes and Monta’s growing family and business interests. Like everything in this issue, it’s a great read.

Elsewhere in the issue, besides the cover stories on Rajon and Kemba, we packed the usual broad range of pieces into a very meaty 104-page issue (ok, so we aren’t quite Vogue, but trust me: 104 is a healthy book in 2011.) There’s Eric Gordon talking about his maturation as a player and the adidas Stupidly Light he’ll be rocking. We sent writer Maurice Bobb all the way to Paris to cover Quai 54, an incredible streetball event made extra special thanks to Jordan Brand’s financial and product support. There are also stories on Yao Ming’s shoe legacy, Swizz Beatz’ partnership with Reebok, Blake Griffin as the face of the Nike Zoom Hyperdunk 2011, Converse’s Band of Ballers, APL, ATR, BALL’N and so much more.

If you like basketball and shoes, you’ve simply got to cop this. Look for all three covers on newsstands in New York City starting today, while stores in the rest of the country should have it next week.